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Permethrin is a chemical in pyrethroids used in a number of mosquito-repelling and -killing

The Off clip-on repels mosquitoes without DEET, but it uses a pyrethroid.

products, especially those expensive automatic misting systems installed in backyards. Pyrethroids are routinely marketed as “safe” because it is a manmade copy of a natural insect toxin called pyrethrum, which is harvested from a flower grown as a crop in African countries.

Stay with me. It’s important.

Chemical companies like to say pyrethrum is harvested from chrysanthemums. Consumers think, ‘Oh. Like football mums.’ But we’re not talking the same flower; it’s merely in the same genus, Chrysanthemum.

As I was editing today’s story about a raft of mosquito products, I came across warnings from veterinarians and humane societies saying pyrethroids are toxic to cats, affects their liver, and can be deadly if the symptoms are not noticed. On the other hand, it is a key ingredient in flea and tick collars for dogs, who metabolize the chemical differently.